Any new suggestions on keeping starlings from devouring feral kitty food?

kittychick

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I'll even take old ones! (someone suggested something with a pie pan that I can't find the suggestion again).

I feel awful - the starlings are literally driving the feral kittens away. We can now only feed between 7 at night and 6:30 in the morning, and so many of our feral babies ate during the day. I know we'd probably be seeing fewer kitties anyway with this weather - but I have a feeling that the food being pulled during the day is at least affecting things - even our heated shelters haven't been used in 3 weeks, and last horridly cold snap, the cats came back after the first few days. Not this time - but I'm guessig they (hopefully) went off in search of more readily available food. Maybe in the spring the starlings will leave and the kittes will come back :(

Annnyyywwaaaayyy....here's what we've tried ---so  PLEASE - any suggestions beyond anything we've tried are greatly, greatly appreciated - we want our babies back!!!!! (and we did talk to several bird experts before trying these - so I'm not crazy on a few of these things). I've also included a layout so you can see how we kind of have it set up.

1. We bought a large (2 foot tall) plastic owl with a head that swings and sways a little in the wind * and put it right next to the opening of the station.  It worked for about 20 hours. Then the birds were back in droves.

2. We turned the station so that the opening faced the garage, and saw slim enough for cats to fit into, but the birds couldn't swoop down. The birds figured out within 15 minutes they could land near it and walk in.

3. We placed strips of washcloth hanging down over opening....porr Blackie the cat sat in front of it for an hour, not figuring out she could push in. A bird landed, pushed in immediately, and in 1 minute there were 30 birds jammed into the tiny rubbermaid feeding station and the food was gone.

4. Put up fluttery party favors, streamers, shiny things that hang, etc from the entry to the station, from the edge of the garage, on top of the owl, inside the station......my husband pulled up and, had he been able to get his phone out fast enough he would have taken a picture. Now the birds were sitting on TOP of the owl. The highly decorated disco owl.

5. The bird guy said starlings go b sight, not smell, so we covered excet for a teeny opening, the feeding station. Again - 5 minutes, birds everywhere.

6. Last thing I tried - we'd been propping open the small side door shown next to the large garage door (open just about 4 inches) in case any kitties wanted to go inside instead of use shelters - (we'd set up cat carriers filled with straw inside). No one had used them, but thought it was worth trying.  And I'd witnessed them wandering into (and generally out of) that door to at least check things out. So I set a small bowl of hard and soft cat food inside the door --- but about 12 inches in so it couldn't easily be seen. You can guess - go out later in the after nooon and our garage is FILLED with starlings!!!! CREEPY!!!!

7. Optomistically, I've given it a few days, and am putting another bowl inside the door - but further out of site and too the right. Haven't been out there yet to see if bird or cat or either has discovered it.

So HELP!!!! Any other suggestions? Someone had a pie tin thing - but I can't find it. (I forgot - we also bought a mirror to put behind the food - that didn't do a darn thing). ANY other suggestion we'd SO appreciate it!!!! We miss our guys - especially little Flick, that we've seen since birth!!!!!! And these starlings are just relentless!!!

Thanks in advance for any help!!

 

di and bob

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I have the same problem, they devour all the food in the bowl. I haven't found a solution either except to bring the food into the house to be brought out only when I see a cat, they usually sit around for a while waiting, what a pain!!!
Now they're eating my woodpecker suet faster then I can put it out too. If I remember right, they do this every spring and when it becomes warmer they disappear, because I know I don't do this all summer! (No, then the  raccoons take their place!) It's a never ending battle. I want to watch this post to see if anyone has a solution. Good luck!
 
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kittychick

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At least someone's sharing our misery! Defintiely watch this post - maybe SOMEONE out there will have a great suggestion! (I'm at least hoping the person with the pie pan suggestion reposts that idea)

Thanks
 

msaimee

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The only way I have found to solve the problem is to not leave any food out for a week or two. The starlings will get frustrated and move away. Until this happens, can you wait till you see the cats until you feed them?

I found a method of keeping 95% of other birds away from cat food (there's always a few that are just too smart). Cut a strip of cardboard from a cereal box that goes around 2/3 of the bowl and comes up an inch or so above the rim of the bowl. Cover it with aluminum foil. Secure it around the bowl with a rubber band. The birds dislike the shiny foil and most won't want to have to hop around to the opening part to eat it. Make sure the cat can get his head into the bowl comfortably. Cats are smart and will figure it out. You can also put some kind of big ceramic figure in front of the bowl--that will also scare off some birds.

But this will not work with starlings--I have tried everything with them--they are just too smart. Taking away the cat food for a week or so is the only thing I've found will work.
 
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kittychick

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This was the note I was trying to find - - unfortunately our only problem is starlings. So we're trying one more thing ---propping door to garage pen a tad and putting food inside way out of site of the birds. A few cats seems to figure it out yesterday (we didn't see which ones - but we're happy anyone got it!). But some cats come to drink, wander like they're hungry, then move on. I keep putting smellier food in the bowl in the garage, but some of the cants definitely aren't getting it yet.

We've had food pulled away for a week now during the day --- but we accidentally left food down past dawn yesterday and the birds were back in force!!! :(

So we're hoping the birds DON'T figure out the food in the garage ---- and the cats do ----and we'll also keep putting food in the feeding station at might. And we keep praying for warm weather adn the banishment of the starlings!!! Argh!

Still open for any suggestions - however off the wall they may be :)
 

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I had that problem with crows in the summer, but my solution was similar to one that you've already tried. One of my feeders is a deckbox with a cat-sized opening cut in it. The crows were going into the deckbox through the cat opening and helping themselves to the food and water. Slowly, adding two strips per week, I covered the opening with clear plastic strips. Doing it slowly, the cats were able to learn how to push through the plastic and the crows stayed out when the opening was eventually completely covered with multiple layers of plastic strips. You tried that already with the washcloth strips, so I guess starlings are just smarter than crows :(   I can imagine how frustrating this is for you, that the cats can't get to the food.
 

msaimee

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Starling are so smart and good at problem-solving that it's eerie. You may have to stop leaving food during the day for longer than a week, because as I recall, it took my neighbors and I 2-3 weeks of not leaving out cat or dog food before the starlings gave up and left.

The idea I suggested about the aluminum foil around the food bowl has worked for me for 95% of sparrows, but not for starlings.

There is one other idea I've heard about but not tried. If you hang a large magnet by the food, the birds won't go near it because it messes with their brain waves. I may try this myself next time the starlings return, so if you try it and it works, let me know :)

Oh, in case of anyone thinks about  poisoning the starlings,  keep in mind that if your cats eat the dead, poisoned birds, they will get poisoned, too.
 
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kittychick

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SusanK51 - the strips do sound alot like the washcloth method we tried - and the starlings figured it out before we could even walk back in and get the scissors to cut it into strips!!! They just pushed the whole washcloth aside, all 7  or 8 of them! And the poor kitties never did get it. So the washcloth went away immediately.

And don't worry, MsAimee - as frustrating as this is --- and as much as I'm worried about the cats, neither myself nor my husband could ever poison anything. Heck, we live trap mice in our house we're such nuts! (I do draw the line at spiders - sorry - too creepy).

We've had the food up during the day now for 3 weeks from dawn to dusk - and just yesterday - after 3 weeks of no food during the day, I sat out the bowl that LOOKS like the bowl we use for the cats and a hoard of birds descended. I'm hoping that once it warms up, it'll get better. I'm so worried about Flick, et al. No one's even using the shelters! I did see BigRay having a drink this morning - so at least he's still alive and around!

Thanks so all the good thoughts and suggestons so far - keep 'em comin'!!!!

Thanks again !
 

susank521

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I wonder where you could find a large magnet? That sure sounds worth trying. I am so glad that we just have stupid birds (bird brains) in my neck of the woods!


I saw one suggestion online about hanging a mirror inside of a bird house facing the opening to keep starlings out. What if you put the usual bowl(s) out for a week or so, but instead of regular cat food, you put something unappealing in there? Maybe bird seed covered in cayenne pepper? 
 

allmomskitties

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We have been feeding outdoor cats for many years.  Our biggest problem with theft has been from magpies.  They're smarter than most people I know!  We had an outdoor feeding area that was only closed in on three sides, and the magpies would just swoop right in and eat all the cat food.  So we hung a tarp on the open side - magpie problem solved!  But we also have an occasional problem with racoons.  They're more clever than any ten people I know!  So we made a large indoor box from an old dresser and laid it on its side.  We made a door in one end and put a heavy duty screen over the top (so we could lift it up to fill the food bowl).  We put a flap over the little door so it was like a small cat door (the racoons won't go in if there is something in front of the doorway).  Then we set the whole thing up on a low bench.

At first we were concerned the cats wouldn't find the food with all this new stuff, or they would be scared by it.  But it only took a couple days before they had it all figured out and were visiting their bowl without any interference from either bird or beast! ... 
 

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I put a pan of food under my car and that helped.  Those starlings are relentless. I've wound up letting the outsiders in to eat then they go back out. They have been S/N and vaccines. I put the house cats in another area to prevent fights.  Strange, but my house cats are afraid of those big flocks of starlings and will vacate their window perches and head under the bed when the birds are flocking.  I tried an ugly artificial snake at the feeding station. Nobody, feathered or furred paid attention to it.     I can't put food out at night because of wild life. Raccoons,   possums etc.
 

allmomskitties

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1)  OUTSIDE VIEW WITH TARP CLOSED


2)  OUTSIDE VIEW WITH TARP OPEN


3)  BOX  MADE FROM OLD DRESSER TURNED ON IT'S SIDE (DRAWERS ARE DISCARDED)


4)  DOOR CUT ON END FOR CATS TO ENTER AND EXIT


5)  FLAP COVERING DOOR (MADE FROM PIECE OF OLD SWEATSHIRT)


6)  HEAVY WIRE SCREEN OVER TOP


7)  INSIDE OF FEEDING BOX, SHOWING BOWL OF FOOD

In photo #3 you can see our rubber water bowl on the floor.  That rubber bowl won't crack or break

whenever it gets cold enough to freeze water outside.  So we can bend the edges of it and the ice

falls right out.  Sort of like a giant ice cube.  Great addition to our outside feeding area!

The closed tarp in photo #1 is enough to keep any birds out.  The rest of the stuff we had to make

to keep racoons out.  They will NOT go in that box with that little flap over the small door.  BUT -

the door has to be on one end and the food WAY in back of the box, because they WILL reach in

and pull the bowl to the door so they can eat.  Very smart little buggers!
 
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shadowsrescue

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First off, thank so much for the pictures.  Brilliant ideas!!!  So the raccoons won't get inside the flap of sweatshirt?  That is an incredible thought.  I have a similar set up, but I use an unused feral villa my DH built.  It had a hinged roof so I can put food inside.  I have it sitting up on a tall table.  Yet the raccoons manage to climb up it somehow.  I even put metal flashing around the table last year and they still managed to get up.  I only leave the food out on bitter cold nights when I know other critters won't be out. It has been so very cold this winter that the raccoons haven't been out since the 1st of January.  Yet we are to have a warm up this week so I figure they will be out and starving.  I have an entrance and exit and would love it if the raccoons would be afraid of a flap of sweatshirt. 
 

allmomskitties

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First off, thank so much for the pictures.  Brilliant ideas!!!  So the raccoons won't get inside the flap of sweatshirt?  That is an incredible thought.  I have a similar set up, but I use an unused feral villa my DH built.  It had a hinged roof so I can put food inside.  I have it sitting up on a tall table.  Yet the raccoons manage to climb up it somehow.  I even put metal flashing around the table last year and they still managed to get up.  I only leave the food out on bitter cold nights when I know other critters won't be out. It has been so very cold this winter that the raccoons haven't been out since the 1st of January.  Yet we are to have a warm up this week so I figure they will be out and starving.  I have an entrance and exit and would love it if the raccoons would be afraid of a flap of sweatshirt. 
Yes, raccoons are active all year, but not as much in the winter.  They store a lot of fat and can exist on that for several weeks at a time.  But they do come out even in the cold.  And they are excellent climbers!  I would say as good as any cat.  There are some videos on YouTube of raccoons climbing that absolutely blew me away!!  One shows a raccoon almost climbing up the side of a house!  They can't jump up, but they can sure climb, and they CAN jump back down from fairly high up. 

So far we have used this set-up for about 3 years and have no more trouble with raccoons.  That MIGHT mean they have all left the area, but I doubt that!  They don't seem to want to enter anything that they can see there is no other way in or out.  And that little cloth flap seems to have done the trick of discouraging them at all.  BUT the little door must be on one end and the food bowl all the way at the other end of the feeding box, and the box needs to be fairly long.  We tried it without the flap and the
raccoons would just reach WAY in, drag the bowl over to the door and eat all the food!  And man, can they EAT!!  They are a real challenge to out-smart.  But so far this arrangement has worked. 
 
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kittychick

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Good news/bad news...

Yesterday - after almost 4 weeks of no Flick sightings (and basically only seeing Big Ray fairly regularly, and  occasionally the previously injured orange tiger) we saw Flick AND Maddie (who was the mother of the 3 feral kittens we took in last summer, socialized and adopted out - the kittens, not the mom)!  So it was a great cat sighting day!!!! We'd almost come to the sad realization that it was quite possible Flick hadn't made it. So what a great day!

Also on the positive side - we had narrowed the crack in the side garage door to about 6 inches and moved the food further over so it was out of sight from the doorway - and the cats seemed to be still finding the food in there during the day - -AND no birds in there!!!!!

On the sad side - another starling in the house yesterday  morning, AND we saw a raccoon squeezing his was out of the garage side door last night. Didn't dream one of those guys could make it in and out of that narrow a crack!

But still - he doesn't eat as much as the starlings so I think we may have a solution here for the rest of the winter---yeah!!!!!!!

Still going to look for the magnet though - seems so interesting I really want to try it :)
 

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In order to keep them out, you'd have to put the food out at dusk and take it up at dawn.  I don't get up at dawn.  And unfortunately, birds like hot pepper, so that won't work.  I know food grade diatomaceous earth is good for keeping crawling insects out of the food, and can be added to the cat food to get rid of intestinal parasites.  I wonder if this would repel the starlings without hurting them.  ??
 

msaimee

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This is an old thread, but a subject worth re-visiting. My problem is that during the warm weather months, the starlings devour the cat food during the day and the raccoons during the night, and my feral roams more and shows up less so I worry about him getting enough food. In the past, I found that after not leaving food out during the day for 2 weeks, the starlings would give up and move away. However, there is a community of starlings who co-exist with the sparrows on my block now so they won't leave. Someone posted a link for an outside cat feeder recently on a thread I had started, and I'll probably purchase that when I have an extra 40 dollars to spend, but for now, I've rigged the food bowl in such a way that it takes the starlings hours instead of minutes to devour the food. You cut out a card board strip from a cereal box that goes around three quarters of the bowl and is about an inch or so higher, cover it with aluminum foil, and attach with a thick rubber band. This alone will keep out sparrows, but not starlings. Next I attach a long row of super magnets to the side. The magnets bother the birds, makes them dizzy, but do not hurt the cat. Now I am placing the bowl next to the wall of my porch, an inch away. The birds have to balance themselves on top of the foil and lean into the bowl and get a morsel out quickly, and many of them don't even bother because it's too much trouble. So until I'm able to purchase the outside feeder (which may or may not work on starlings), this is a partial solution for now.

 
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